Union Minister for Information Dr Pe Myint and delegation visited Kamakura Film Museum on 27 October afternoon and observed the books on filmography presented there.

Formerly the home of Japanese film producer Nagamasa Kawakita and his wife Kashiko, it was transformed into a museum as a homage to the couple who believed that a cinema is the best platform for building friendly relations and understanding. In addition to displaying film books and magazines, the museum also hosts film festivals, workshops and other services to the film community.

The Union Minister also visited IMAGICA Lab Co in Tokyo yesterday morning and observed their post-production processes. The company was founded in 1935 and provides technological assistance and archival services to film businesses. They handle planning, production and distribution of films, TV shows, commercials, images and games for mobile phones, 2k and 4k film archiving with digital format, scanning and metadata management system.

From there, the Union Minister visited Shochiku Otani Library and observed its theatre, film and TV scripts, books, documents, photos and records. The library was opened by Otani Takejiro in 1958, the founder of Shochiku Co Ltd, after he was awarded the Order of Culture. It has a collection of more than 420,000 books, documents and archival records. The Union Minister then visited the company building and observed the production, sales and purchase of TV shows and media software.

The company was first established by Mr Takejino Otani and Matsujino Shirani in 1985. It released the first color film in Japan and the world’s longest running film series. The company also handles sound systems, music copyright licenses, theatre preparations and renting, management and clarifying real estate.

Next, the Union Minister visited NHK station and observed broadcasting of domestic and foreign news in Japanese and English, preparations to broadcast news in formats suitable for people with disabilities and children, and news on natural disasters.

NHK was established on 24 November 1924 as Tokyo Broadcasting Station and reorganized as Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), in 1926 as a state-owned station.

Later in the evening, the Union Minister attended Tokyo International Film Festival at the Roppongi Theater in Minato, Tokyo and viewed international films at the opening ceremony.

The film festival was first organized in 1985 and held once every two years till 1991, after which it became an annual event. It is one of several prominent Asian film festivals accredited by International Federation of Film Producers Associations. The film festival gives out awards for best film, director, actor and actress. It will run from 28 October to 5 November and screen over 200 international films.

MNA (Translated by Zaw Htet Oo)